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Petition launched to stop Trust flushing family business down the toilet

Thursday, 5 October 2017

McConaghy’s shop, owned by The National Trust and leased by the McConaghy family. If planning proposals put forward by The National Trust get the go ahead, the long-established family business would be replaced with a toilet block!

A PETITION has been set up to save McConaghy's Souvenir Shop after it emerged The National Trust had plans to turn the shop into a toilet block!The Chronicle reported back in August that Tommy McConaghy, whose family has sold souvenirs at the Giant's Causeway since 1912, had received notice from The Trust that his lease would end in November, mere weeks before Christmas.However, a large number of objections were submitted to the Planning Service after The National Trust submitted plans for a change of use of a small office and shop in order to provide baby changing facilities and additional male, female and accessible WCs.Tommy recently launched legal action and not long after, a petition of support was set up in the hope to save the business.Speaking the The Chronicle, Tommy said: "Back in May The National Trust served us notice, they told us our lease was up in November and wouldn't be renewed.“We had a meeting with them, just the one, and they kept saying they had "good intent" but they wouldn't tell us what it was!